Display device



Feb. 16, 1937. J. M. SCRIBA Y 2,071,290

I DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Nov. 25, 1935 2 $heets$h eet l 99 I E9. 4. 34 Z5 I 24 26 I I 24 JUL/5272011 Jahn/ZEcriba Feb. 16, 1937. $R|BA 2,071,290

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Now 25, 19:55 I 2 sheets shet 2 I Patented Feb. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES DISPLAY DEVICE John M. Scriba, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Midland Wire & Metal Products, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 25, 1935, Serial No. 51,465

4 Claims.

This invention relates to display racks, and in its illustrated form comprises a display rack having a plurality of trays formed almost entirely of wire, rotatably mounted on a single pole standard.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive display rack of high capacity and which will be free from trouble in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a display rack having a variety of forms of trays or retainers for displaying packages of different characteristics.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tray suitable for rotatable mounting on a vertical shaft which, although extremely inexpensive will nevertheless be sturdy and rotate freely.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simplified bearing construction or mounting suitable for use with wire baskets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rack which has the maximum display space for packages such as envelopes or boxes of seeds, or jars, or cans, while utilizing a minimum of floor or counter space.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the form of the apparatus chosen for illustration of my invention, some of the wires being omitted, especially on the right hand side, for the sake of clarity, and the portion to the right of the line A-A being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the upper tray shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the intermediate tray shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bottom tray of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the basket of Fig. 3.

Figs. 6 and '7 are plan and side views, the latter partly in section, of a form of basket which may take the place of that shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view showing the manner of securing the bearings to the Wires.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the structure of Figs. 6 and '7.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of Fig. 4.

Although this invention may take numerous forms, only one has been chosen for illustration, together with a modification of a part thereof. In this form the display rack includes a base In, a vertical pole |2 upstanding therefrom and, if

desired, including one or more extensions l3 screwed onto the upper portion thereof. Rotatably mounted on the vertical pole l2 may be a plurality of racks 20, 30, 56 and 10. Each of these racks includes a bearing (see l8 in Fig. 8) and a wire structure secured to said bearing, as in the manner illustrated in Fig. 6. The Wires designated generically by the numeral I! are inserted in holes in the various bearings designated generically by the numeral l8 and which may be formed of brass or any other suitable bearing metal. Although the wires will be held in these holes by the other wires to which they are secured by soldering or welding, they may be made fair- 1y tight in the holes by crimping the holes with a punch, as indicated by the punch marks IS on the under side of the bearing. This will permit the holes to be slightly oversize prior to crimping so that the Wires will fit into them easily.

Secured to and extending from the lower beara ing 2| are a plurality of wires 23, four being illustrated extending at right angles to one another. Secured to these wires 23 is an octagonal ring 24. This ring and also the other rings mentioned herein may be formed by butt-welding the ends of a single strand of wire. All of the connections between two wires are preferably spot-welded.

Above the wires 23 and ring 24 is an identical structure formed of the wires 23' and the ring 24', the wires 23' being secured in upper bearing 22. Some or all of the wires 23 may be connected with the wires 23 by spacer wires 25.

Suspended from rings 24 and 24 is a compartment 26. Each basket is made up of a plurality of bottom and side Wires 21 and a top rim wire 28. The top rim wire is U-shaped, as shown best in Fig. 4, and extends from the ring 24 outwardly, transversely and inwardly back to the ring 24. The wires 2! are also U-shaped and extend from the ring 24' down to and around the ring 24, spacing these two rings apart, and then outwardly and finally upwardly to the rim 28.

The compartments 26 form ideal holders for individual jars or cans or for groups of smaller packages which will be held facing outwardly by these holders. The various wires 23, 24, 23 and 24' form a very rigid structure, especially when braced by the wires 21 and 25. The wires 25 have the particular function of properly spacing the bearings 2| and 22 with sufficient strength so that the intermediate basket 30 may be nested on the upper bearing 22. The lower bearing 2| may rest directly on the base H). An incidental but important result of spacing the bearings 2| and 22 apart is that it prevents the basket 20 from wobbling on the vertical pole 2.

The second basket 30 is supported by its lower bearing 3| on the bearing 22. It is spaced above these bearings by wires 32 which extend outwardly and upwardly from the lower bearing 3|, as shown best in Figs. 1 and 5, and then extend radially outwardly to form a support for the various rings 33 secured thereto, and are bent upwardly at the periphery of the basket to form upstanding portions 34 to which are secured the side rings 35. The various wires 32 are secured at their bottoms by a ring 35. Secured to the rings 33 there may also be provided a plurality of radially extending wires 31 which at their outer ends are bent upwardly to form additional upwardly eX- tending portions 34 and at their inner ends may extend directly inwardly to an intermediate bearing 38 rather than downwardly to the bearing 36. An upper bearing 39 may be secured to the basket by radially extending wires 4| welded to the upper side ring and braced toward their centers by a ring 42 which also serves to keep the merchandise near the periphery of the basket. In Fig. 3 the wires 4| directly overlie the wires 32 and so the latter do not show except for their upstanding ends 34. Likewise, in Fig. 1 the ring 42 is directly behind the ring 30 and hence does not show.

The rack is preferably supported by its lower bearing 5| on a cotter pin 52 extending through the vertical pole 2. It may be mentioned that there will usually be a plurality of racks 50, one above the other, although only one has been illustrated. Of course, there may also be a plurality of either the racks 20 or the racks 3B and, in fact, the entire vertical pole may be filled with just one of the three forms of racks.

The rack 50 includes a plurality of wires 53, for example, four, extending upwardly from the lower bearing 5| to a ring 54. The ring 54 is also supported in part from the upper bearing 55 by a plurality of wires 56 and 51. To these wires 56 and 51 is secured a polygonal wire ring 58. The wires 56 and also a plurality of wires 59, which are secured to the rings 54 and 58, extend out beyond the ring 58 to form the projections 60 which have upwardly and inwardly turned ends 6| which, in effect, form hooks. The contemplated use of these hook-like extensions 60 is to hang any desired articles therefrom, as for example envelopes 64 of seeds, which may have an eyelet near their upper ends to be slipped over the hooks. The envelopes are indicated at the left in Fig. 1. The polygonal ring 58 tends to keep said envelopes from twisting, with the result that they are always facing directly outwardly. This ring 58 also prevents the envelopes from being pushed in on the wires where they might be partially hidden by envelopes on adjacent wires.

The two bearings 5| and 55, although not spaced as far apart as the bearings of the other racks, are far enough apart to insure sufficient sturdiness and ease of rotation in view of the light loads that will be carried by the racks 50.

The rack 10 is merely a sign holder and is formed mainly of two wires 12 each supported by the single brass bearing 7| and curled around at its free end to form a clip 13. In this clip 13 there are almost two convolutions of wire, with the result that at the top of the clip there are two wire members normally in contact with one another but sufficiently resilient so that a sign may be placed between them. The two clips 73 are in alinement, so that the same sign may be inserted in both clips. The wires 72 are braced by a wire 15 which is welded to the two wires '12 and has a bearing 16 formed at its center by virtue of the wire 10 passing one and one-half times around the vertical pole l2. Thus, the wires 15 form simultaneously an upper bearing and a brace.

In Figs. 6 and '7 is illustrated a modified form of basket which may take the place of either the basket 20 or the basket 30, although in the latter instance means must be provided for spacing it from any basket therebelow. This modification includes a lower bearing 8| and an upper hearing 82.

Secured to and extending from the lower bearing 8| are a plurality of wires 83, the four being illustrated extending at right angles to one another. Secured on top of these four wires, as by welding, are a plurality of wire rings 84 which may be formed from straight pieces of wire by welding their ends together. neath the rings 84 and extending radially outwardly from the innermost of said rings are a plurality of wires 85. All of the wires 83 and 85 are bent upwardly at their outer ends, as shown in Fig. 1, to form the upstanding portions 86. Secured to these upstanding portions 86 are side rings 81. The side rings 81 and bottom wires 83 and 85 and bottom rings 84 form a fairly deep basket completely open at its top.

To prevent the basket from wobbling on the vertical pole l2, and to support a basket thereabove, a central brace structure is provided. This brace structure includes the wires 88 secured to and extending upwardly from the innermost ring 84 and extending into and secured in the upper bearing 82. To brace these upwardly extending wires, a ring 89 may be provided, being welded to the inwardly extending portions of the wires 88, as seen best in Fig. 7. The bearings 8|- and 82 are so widely spaced and the basket is so strong that a fairly heavy load can be placed in one side of the basket without materially distorting the basket and without interfering with its smooth rotation.

In general it may be noted that wherever the wires cross one another they are secured together, welding being preferred, but any other manner of securing being within the scope of this invention in its broader aspects. All of the bearings may be secured to their respective wires in the manner described with respect to Fig. 6.

The structure shown in Fig. 9 may be used in any of the carriers for supporting an upper bearing from a lower. For example, in the bottom basket it could be used in place of the wires 23' and 25.

Although I describe the details of my invention in the preferred embodiment, it is obvious that I am not restricted by the details shown and described, and the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A carrier for a display rack comprising a rotatable bearing, a plurality of radially-extending wires secured thereto and having their ends upwardly and inwardly turned to form hooks which positively prevent articles swinging off therefrom, and a plurality of rings secured to said wires at difierent points and spaced inwardly from their ends to leave free end portions of the wires projecting outwardly.

2. A carrier for a display rack adapted to display eyeleted seed packages comprising a central support structure, a plurality of radially-extend- Secured undering wires supported thereby and having their ends turned upwardly and inwardly to form hooks and a plurality of rings secured to said wires at different points and spaced inwardly from their ends to leave the free ends of the wires projecting outwardly to receive the eyeleted packages, the outer of said rings having its portion adjacent each of said outwardly projecting wires perpendicular thereto for substantially the width of said packages.

3. A carrier for a standing display rack adapted to display eyeleted packages comprising a central support structure, a plurality of radially-extending wires supported thereby and having their ends upwardly turned to form hooks and a plurality of rings secured to said wires at different points and spaced inwardly from their ends to leave the free ends of the wires projecting outwardly far enough to receive several of the eyeleted packages, the outer of said rings having its portion adjacent each of said outwardly projecting wires perpendicular thereto substantially half the angular distance to the next outwardly projecting wire, and said rack being free from obstructions which would prevent said packages from resting against said outer ring.

4. A display rack including a standard and a plurality of carriers separately rotatable on said standard, each of said carriers being adapted to display eyeleted packages and comprising a central support structure adapted to rotatably engage said standard, a plurality of radiallyextending wires supported thereby and having their ends upwardly turned to form hooks and a plurality of rings secured to said wires at different points and spaced inwardly from their ends to leave the free ends of the wires projecting outwardly far enough to receive several of the eyeleted packages, the outer of said rings having its portion adjacent each of said outwardly projecting wires perpendicular thereto substantially half the angular distance to the next outwardly projecting wire, and said rack being free from obstructions which would prevent said packages from resting against said outer ring.

JOHN M. SCRIBA. 

